And Yet

Is your doctor listening to you? Actually listening? In today’s world of medicine, many patients aren’t being heard. In fact, many are being completely dismissed, invalidated, and sometimes even insulted. Especially when it comes to women’s health, doctors sometimes don’t take women seriously. The doctor-patient dynamic here has damaged people, even to the point of causing diseases to get worse. This is Angela Allen’s experience. Angela is a psychiatric ER nurse based out of North Carolina. So far in her life, she’s had quite the battle with endometriosis. She’s had over five surgeries and a multitude of doctors totally reject her plea for help, treatment, and care. Even as a nurse, she, too, has struggled with the cold doctor-patient power dynamic. Today, we talk about our overall experiences with endometriosis. The three of us each take turns telling stories about our surgeries, treatments, total rejections by doctors, and the trauma that is associated with this cycle as a result. Angela specifically talks about her own healing process and how she’s learned to advocate for herself in the doctor’s office prior to going under the knife. Get ready to learn more about how to find your voice in the doctor’s office, self educate, and empower yourself to get the treatment you deserve. Some Question I Ask: What was your process in getting diagnosed with endometriosis? (4:45)What feedback did you receive after your first surgery? (7:39)What have doctors told you that really shocked you? (15:52)What’s it like for you to switch from being the nurse to the patient? (17:23)How can someone practically prepare for a doctor visit? (18:30)How did you prepare yourself for a potential hysterectomy? (23:20)How do you feel when you see the uterus as a symbol of unity and strength depicted now in social media and in art? (25:05)What’s your job as a nurse in a psychiatric ER like? (38:04)In This Episode, You Will Learn: How endometriosis can be diagnosed. (4:48)About Angela’s experience of her pain being dismissed by her doctor and being labeled a drug addict. (7:48)Why the doctor-patient dynamic disserves patients. (17:27)How to find your voice in the doctor’s office. (18:37)Why a hysterectomy may be needed to help treat endometriosis. (21:34)About the intangible grief and isolation after having an unwanted hysterectomy. (25:34)How to cope with the grief tied to a hysterectomy. (32:34)About the long-term effects of being dismissed by your doctor due to severe chronic pain. (35:04)Resources: Endo Coach RN WebsiteConnect with Angela: Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes, when you make a mistake or say the wrong thing, it sticks with you. I mean, it really sticks with you. Sometimes, that can stick with you for days, weeks, or even years. Even just thinking about it can make your face turn red and your chest constricts due to all the anxiety, guilt, and general discomfort around the whole thing. These feelings can spark the desire to run away and avoid this discomfort at all costs. This is especially true with conversations centered around race: where white people with good intentions make mistakes, get defensive, and avoid the discomfort. On today’s episode, we talk with Joy Fennel, who handles these difficult and uncomfortable conversations with absolute grace. Together, we talk about where we have unintentionally participated in “white feminism,” and left others behind. We debrief our mistakes, confront our own white privilege, and learn to grow from there. Get ready to get uncomfortable with us and grow through this process. Some Questions I Ask: Do you often get stuck in uncomfortable conversations where you have to debate whether or not to confront racism? (18:34)How would you like to have these conversations? (22:19)Why aren’t black people receiving proper medical care? (33:29)Did you face representation issues while growing up? (35:44)What changes do you see in beauty trends? (37:48)What are your goals for the future? (53:17)In This Episode, You Will Learn: Why America needs to enter into uncomfortable discussions around race. (7:05)How Joy prioritizes giving grace to others within these uncomfortable conversations. (11:33)How Joy determines whether or not to confront someone. (19:17)Why the “revved-up mentality” is dangerous to progression and health. (22:40)Why people distrust allies. (26:48)How anger shifts into depression, and how this is dismissed through stereotypes. (30:00)Why black people are their own advocates in healthcare. (34:04)How Joy began her journey in the beauty industry. (38:15)How impactful it is to see a situation from other points of view when it comes to race. (51:19)Connect with Joy:Joy’s InstagramThe Joy In Beauty InstagramCloutier Remix ProfileThe Joy In Beauty Website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that 80-90% of female-bodied individuals suffer from PMS?Did you know that actually suffering from PMS isn’t how life needs to be for those who experience periods?This episode of And Yet Podcast is about empowering women and female-bodied people to use their menstrual cycle as an asset rather than a hindrance on their quality of life. Lara Briden is here to share some of her wisdom and experience with helping her patients progress from accepting period discomfort as a normal life experience to helping them mostly—if not completely—eradicate all PMS symptoms.Lara Briden is a naturopathic doctor with over 20 years of experience. Her mission is to have easy, symptomless periods, and join the worldwide period revolution. Her book Period Repair Manual outlines practical solutions to improving PMS and all unpleasant symptoms related to the menstrual cycle.Right now, conventional medicine tends to brush off many period problems, telling patients that it’s “normal.” Lara Briden, however, says menstrual health is not separate from the rest of your health, even if conventional medicine treats it that way. Instead, it’s more like a monthly report card that will determine if you are eating a nutritional diet or have any underlying health issues.Learn how you can take back control over your period on this episode of the And Yet Podcast.Some Questions I Ask: How did you become involved in the area of menstrual and hormonal health? (4:00)What do you mean when you say that menstrual health is an indicator of overall health? (5:41)What can our periods tell us? (6:36)What PMS symptoms are normal and considered healthy? (16:05)What PMS symptoms should raise a red flag? (25:04)What is the problem in misdiagnosing something like PCOS? (27:52)How should we be talking to medical professionals about our experiences? (38:38)How can we learn to use our cycle to our advantage? (44:20)In This Episode, You Will Learn: How menstrual health indicates overall health and what our periods are telling us. (5:51)What is and is not a period. (10:39)The various PMS symptoms that are normal and why they are experienced. (16:13)Vitamins and supplements that help rid you of your PMS symptoms (27:06)What PCOS is and its effects. (29:15)Useful scripts and suggestions to help with having tough conversations with doctors about pain and other symptoms. (38:44)Tips on using your cycle to make time for self-care. (44:31)Connect with Lara Briden: WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramAdditional Resources:Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden“3 Signs Your Period is Not Really a Period” by Lara Briden“Histamine Intolerance and a Brand-New Way of Treating PMS or PMDD” by Lara Briden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Nathalie Martinek is a well-being mentor, coach and educator for physicians and healthcare professionals. She is originally from Toronto but she now lives in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Nathalie has a PhD in developmental biology and she is also the founder of a new app called Safe Space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When was the last time you felt truly rested and ready to tackle the day ahead? In today’s demanding culture, “business” has turned into “busyness.” Most of the time, people are so busy—doing everything from just trying to make ends meet, run their businesses, please their bosses—that it seems impossible to find authentic connection.Many people today suffer from this loss of connection or have even contrived a false sense of connection. Karlee Fain calls this phenomenon “popular isolation.”Karlee Fain is actually the sister of one of our hosts: Kelsey. Karlee is a celebrity health and life coach, author, and public speaker. She is known for being the most rested person in any room that she walks into. Karlee understands what it takes to be well rested, which includes combating the catalyst for popular isolation. Get ready to learn more about the universal symptoms of popular isolation, how to combat them, and how to take steps toward a life of self-nourishment. Some Questions I Ask: ·     Who are the types of people that experience “popular isolation”? (5:46)·     Do you feel like social media is contributing to popular isolation? (10:02)·     What are the symptoms of popular isolation? (11:48)·     How can setting boundaries combat popular isolation? (25:45)·     How does inauthenticity create isolation? (27:46)·     How can you get into a habit of self-nourishment? (34:01)In This Episode, You Will Learn: ·     The definition of the term “popular isolation.” (3:48)·     How the false sense of community within specific spaces contributes to popular isolation. (8:21)·     What popular isolation symptoms are universal, and yet people think they’re alone in that experience. (12:07)·     How men and women are motivated differently. (17:44)·     Why our productivity does not equate to our personal value. (22:49)·     Why people thrive through nourishment rather than punishment. (32:23)·     When and why the brain shifts into a scarcity mindset. (40:43)Connect with Karlee Fain: WebsiteLinkedInInstagramFacebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Wolynn, a leading expert in inherited family trauma and author of "It Didn't Start With You," delves into how trauma can echo through generations. He explains that symptoms like anxiety might stem from ancestral experiences rather than personal events, revealing the fascinating role of epigenetics. The discussion includes practical healing techniques and insights from mouse studies, highlighting the transfer of trauma from Holocaust survivors to their descendants. Listeners are encouraged to explore their family histories to break harmful cycles.

Sally works at a clinic that provides in-clinic abortion services. On the days when she is handling administrative duties, Sally will usually be signing prescriptions, checking over charts and making sure patients are being seen in the appropriate way and getting to the right providers. She also provides on-call advice to patients who are post-abortion or maybe coming for their appointment soon. She answers all their concerns and explains what's normal and what's not.Time Stamped Notes[0:58] For abortions, Sally has seen people of all ages. Not very many of the patients will be under 16, but once in a while Sally will attend to patients under 16. Most patients will fall in the age bracket of 16 to 47 years. The patients will be from all backgrounds, religions and races. Sally notes that 59% of women who receive abortions already have children. She believes that mothers are more likely to seek an abortion just because they kind of understand the implications of what raising a child is for your community and for your family.[2:33] There's two types of procedures that Sally's clinic offers. Patients can have a medication abortion or a surgical abortion. For the medication, the patient will come in, they will be given a pill and then the next day in their home, they take four pills to help the pregnancy pass. Sally explains that every woman experiences it differently. Some women may experience the worst pain of their lives while some may experience no pain at all, but usually the pain level is somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. The pain usually depends on where the patient is at in their gestation cycle. However, it is very common to have like menstrual leg cramps which the clinic provides pain medication for.[3:11] Surgical abortion is much less scarier than the name implies. There's no cutting or scraping. It's really gentle dilation of the cervix and the removal of the pregnancy with a straw which is also known as a curette. Mothers are always more likely to opt for the surgical procedure just because they've had speculum exams before, they've delivered and they're a little bit used to that clinical environment.[4:28] Sally often tells her patients that it's normal to have every emotion. When Sally first became a fresh screen abortion nurse, she expected a lot more angst from the patients. However, what she witnessed was a lot of relief. Clearly the issue had been on their minds for a few weeks or several days before they went to the abortion clinic where their medical issue was solved. Whenever Sally is in the room with a patient waiting for the doctors to arrive, they're always asking a lot of questions. In truth, the anticipation is actually far worse than the procedure itself.[6:37] The law requires patients to wait 5 to 10 days after having their evaluation and blood tests. After the 10 day period, 90% of the women will still be sure that that is what they want to do. Sally believes that this is accurate for patients who arrive and don’t wait. 10% of them will probably go home and will not go through with it all the way because the clinic has excellent counsellors who will be able to spot when they aren’t ready to make this decision or don’t want. Sally, therefore believes that this statistic will not change whether they had to wait or not. Sally always tries to remind her patients that it's okay to feel sad and to feel angry and to feel just conflicted over the choice that they have made.[12:58] For people who have had abortions, grief comes from different places. One is from feeling sad that they found themselves in that position. Secondly, grief may come from the reality of what it means to be an adult in this world. Abortion is a big decision and this is just an indication of crossing over to adulthood. People who find themselves pregnant often grieve the end of their childhood.[15:37] Initially, Sally thought that the people who were having abortions were teenagers who found themselves in bad situations. However, sometimes people want to have abortions because they want to be in a place in their life where they feel they can raise a family and at the moment, having a child is not the best way to do it. This could be because they are not where they want to be in their career or they need some mental health services to get themselves sorted out or their relationship is pretty new and they want to give it time to breathe. Society nowadays has made many people feel like abortion is only appropriate when there are dire situations. However, women have abortions whether they're young or coming to the end of their reproductive years because they choose what's right for their community.[22:41] Sally believes that if society didn’t stigmatize abortions, there would be less abortions because women would have greater access to birth control because of so much stigma around birth control where some people are acting as though that is a form of abortion as well. Research has shown that one in four women have abortions. By not stigmatizing abortions, these women would be allowed to grieve more and be happy. They would get to go through abortion as a rite of passage.[26:06] Being able to experience a whole range of emotions, whether you're getting your first period, having an abortion, having a baby, it is spiritual practice, especially when you are joined with other people. Sally always feels this way when she's in a procedure room when a patient's having an abortion and they're being so supported. Their physician is there talking them through the whole thing and giving them whatever they need. Some patients don’t want to hear anything while others want to be given like a step by step guide. The doula is there holding the patient's hand and everyone is so loving and supportive.[27:13] Some facilities won't use the term doula and they call it, support person and this is really what a doula is. The doula must not necessarily be part of the medical staff and the doula is just be there to hold their hand. A doula is like water and they're there to morph into what the patient needs in that moment. So typically it's waiting with the patient as they're getting into their gown.[33:51] If you're a person who's just had an abortion and you're struggling with the feelings you're having afterwards, then just feel those emotions. That's okay. Be as permissive with yourself as possible. Allow yourself to be totally thrilled and happy and ready to just start your new life, but also to grieve what that other ship had for you and what this new ship you're on is like. Be so gentle and talk to someone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We feel like crap when taking the pill.We’re not alone in this experience of feeling like crap when taking hormonal birth control pills.We’re not against hormonal birth control, but we are against using the pill as a blanket solution. There’s well-documented gender bias in the medical field, and it’s time for doctors to really start listening to women.Over the last decade, for the first time, statistics for hormonal birth control for millennial women has actually decreased because of the rough side effects that have become commonplace. In other words, women aren’t putting up with this anymore.On today’s episode, we talk with Dr. Jolene Brighten. She is one of the pioneers in menstrual health reform in the United States. She’s a functional medicine naturopathic medical doctor, founder of Rubus Health, and is globally recognized as the leading expert in post-birth control syndrome.Our conversation covers everything from personal experiences of doctors not paying attention to us in the clinic, and personal experiences regarding the pill. We also discuss methods to change the dismissive culture around menstrual health in medicine, natural alternatives to hormonal birth control, and how the story of menstruation is shifting to a story of empowerment.Learn how you can take control over your menstrual health, medical care, and your symptoms on this episode of the And Yet podcast.Some Questions We Ask: ·     What does hormonal contraception do to the body? (8:02)·     How hormonal contraception can create a divide between the body and the self. (12:01)·     Why has the pill become the go-to treatment for menstrual health issues? (21:33)·     What really happens after the pill? What should women expect to happen? (40:09)·     What are natural alternatives to hormonal birth control? (46:50)In This Episode, You Will Learn: ·     Why millennials are rejecting hormonal contraception. (6:08)·     How hormonal contraception affects the body. (8:19)·     How the story of menstruation is shifting to a story of women’s control over their own bodies. (12:31)·     How the culture around medicine focuses on giving women a quick fix for their menstrual health issues, and how you can be part of the change. (21:44)·     What to expect to happen to your body after coming off the pill. (40:28)·     Why it’s important for women to learn to work with a menstrual cycle. (48:13)Connect with Dr. Jolene Brighten:WebsiteFacebookYouTubeInstagramRubus HealthBeyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene BrightenAdditional Resources: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The And Yet Podcast; the debut series hosted by Siena and Kelsey about the intersection of culture and health. No topic is left undiscussed - they go there! Coming soon to your favourite podcast player. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.